Running Away
by shelby4017
Summary: Because Prim was never picked at the reaping Katniss never had to go to the Hunger Games so will anything keep her from finally running away with Gale?
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first story! I hope you like it and i would love it if you gave me some suggestions and reviewed!**

As I am standing in my section of girls at the reaping I am thinking of what Gale said earlier today "We could do it you know, run away." and to my surprise I am really thinking about it, but I couldn't worry about that now.

Eiffie was prancing along the stage like she does every year and I begin to think of how I couldn't run away with Gale if I had to go to The Hunger Games. "Ladies first!" i hear Eiffie say. "and the lucky tribute is Accalia Komali!"

I do not know this girl, but as she takes the stage I can tell she is young and this was probably her first year in the reaping.

The crowd is upset they always are when a 12 year old is picked because its not fair sending them off to die when their opponents are so much bigger so much stronger than Accalia takes the stage the tears in her eyes start to form as she realizes whats going to happen to her, and how she is going to die.

This much seems to dawn upon Eiffie and puts a rather large dent in her all too cheerful mood."Well" she says "Shall we move on to the boys?''

I am confused because no one even volunteered for Accalia, but what am I to say I didn't volunteer for her.

The only person i would volenteer for would be Prim.

Eiffie's voice is pulling me back from my thoughts as she is saying "and our lucky boy tribute is..." I cross my finger and squeeze my eyes shut praying for Gale not to get picked I am sure half the other girls are praying for someone whether it be their brother or their boyfriend.

I am praying for my hunting partner.

"Peeta Mellark!" says Eiffie finishing her sentence.

I breathe out a sigh of relief only to quickly suck it back in.

I know this boy.

It was a long time ago when we met I'm not even sure if he remembers but I do. This was the boy with the bread.

The boy who gave me bread and brought me back to life. The boy who gave me the will to survive and become a hunter and most importantly meet Gale.

The mayor instructs Accalia and Peeta to shake hands and with that the peacekeepers take them away to the justice building.

I should really go see Peeta and thank him for what he did for me he practically gave me life after my mother signed out on Prim and I.

I hadn't moved because i was deep in thought and I had been staring at the ground and by now I was sure a few people were giving me weird looks but I didn't care. I went to go talk to Gale, maybe he was going to go see Peeta or Accalia but I doubt it.

"Hey Catnip." he says "Do you want to go hunting, I need to talk to you about some thing."

"Sure Gale." I say forgetting all about how I had planned to go see Peeta.

Gale and I arranged a time to meet back in the woods because obviously I wasn't going hunting in my mothers nice clothes she would kill me. As I change back into my regular clothing I am thinking about what is so important that Gale couldn't just tell me right there in the square?

"Guess I'll find out soon enough." I murmured to myself."


	2. Chapter 2

I walked over to the fence that was lining the meadow of district 12 and listened to the distinct hum that indicated that the fence was live. When silence was my answer I made sure no one was watching and quickly slid under. I retrieved my bow and arrow and started the treck to where gale and I were supposed to meet. Our boulder. The same bolder where we had met this morning and shared our breakfast. I couldn't help but imagine what was happening to Peeta who had been selected to go to the capitol, and the small girl who most likely had no chance. Tears pricked my eyes as I thought about how that could have easily been Prim and what their family must be going through.

I reached the bolder and was almost able to sneak up behind Gale because he had that look on his face when i knew he was deep in thought. My toes slipped and it was like stepping on a bomb. Gale instintly whirled around, arrow raised, and a look of disappointment flashed across his face when he realized I wasn't food.

"Oh its just you Catnip.." gale said with a smile on his face

He moved over so I could also sit on the rock, and he looked like he really wanted to tell me something so I knew not to talk until he was done sorting things out in his head. He opened his mouth then closed it again and got that same distant look in his eye that meant he was thinking long and hard about what to say next. Finally he broke the silence.

"I love you." he said

"You what?" I half shouted.

"I love you Katniss. I don't know when it happened but it did and now there is nothing either of us can do to change it. I think we have always been meant for each other..the way we both met, trying to survive and feed our families, it brought us together." Gale stated.

"I didn't know you felt this way? This isnt supposed to happen! I am not supposed to fall and love and have a family just so I can watch in fear at the reaping every year while my child might get picked." I said as I started getting emotional.

"I have a simple solution Katniss. We can run away when that time comes. We are both good enough survivers to make it in the wild, or if you want to stay in district 12 and watch prim grow up and we could get jobs and try and make some improvements in this miserable town then we could do that too. " Gale said trying tocompromise.

"I don't think you unserstand what it would be like for a mother to have to watch her child die on national telivision. If my child died that would be hard enough on me..but for my child to die with people watching and cheering on their killer.. I would end up like my mother did after what happened in the accident."


End file.
